The present invention pertains in general to a method and apparatus for controlling fire ants, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for controlling fire ants using electrical and mechanical stimulus methods.
The continued proliferation of colonies of red imported fire ants Solenopsis invicta are becoming a serious problem in the United States. From their place of origin in Argentina and Brazil, they have spread from sea ports along the Gulf of Mexico across the Southeastern States of the USA from Texas to Florida and northward to a latitude along the southern border of Tennessee. They are playing havoc with many important utilities including electric power distribution and telecommunication systems as well as heating and air conditioning systems and traffic control systems. Fire ants are attracted to electrical circuits and they can cause failures in transformers, cables, connectors and related electrical hardware. They also pose a serious threat to livestock and small animals lying on the ground. Thousands of fire ants can cover a small animal on the ground and sting it repeatedly. The stings can cause a newborn calf to be blinded and die. Fire ants can also be very hazardous to people in the outdoors. It is very easy to step in or near a mound and be quickly covered with fire ants. They generally cause a localized allergic reaction on the area of the skin punctured by their stinging. Their sting is quite painful, and its effects can last for hours. Some individuals suffer a severe allergic reaction that can lead to anaphylactic shock, which can be fatal if not treated promptly. Small children and elderly people are particularly susceptible to serious injury from fire ants.
The control of fire ant colonies in the environment has been attempted through the use of insecticides that either kill the insects directly on contact or result in a disruption of their reproductive cycle. These chemicals are being used more extensively and they are beginning to pose a serious threat to the quality of ground water systems in highly concentrated population areas. The poisons that kill on contact only eliminate a small portion of the fire ants exposed on the surface of the ground. Many of these ants remain below ground, in the mound, and merely move to a new location and reestablish a new colony. Baits that result in a disruption of the fire ant""s reproductive process are more effective in eliminating a colony, but they are slow to achieve results and recent experience indicates that the fire ants may be developing immunities to some of these chemicals that may reduce their long term effectiveness. A more recent idea involves importing a natural predator of the fire ant from its place of origin. The predator is a small gnat that lays it""s eggs in the eyes of fire ants. Some experiments are being planned with its introduction in the USA, but the additional side effects of introducing yet another insect are unknown.
The present invention disclosed and claimed herein comprises a method and apparatus for controlling fire ants. This is accomplished by providing a stimulating source that when activated attracts and agitates fire ants to the point that ants from a common colony attack each other. Activating the stimulating source causes the fire ants to cluster around the stimulating source and attack each other. The stimulated fire ants are urged into a tightly confined space to exacerbate the attack reaction. An AC voltage, whose amplitude is low enough not to kill the ants or harm other beings, but high enough to disrupt the nervous systems of the ants to the extent that they attack one another, may be used as the stimulating source. A conical shaped container that extends downward to an apex may be used to force the stimulated fire ants closer together and thereby exacerbate the attack reaction. Periodic or continuous vibration applied in an area proximate to the stimulating source may be used to attract additional fire ants. The periodic vibration may be interrupted by the detection of frequency or amplitude variations in the stimulating source output caused by fire ants proximate to the stimulating source.
The stimulating source is provided across two conductive plates that are separated by a small insulating gap. The width of this gap is set such that a fire ant must touch both plates when attempting to cross the area. The plates are arranged in concentric circles around the inner edge of an open cone. One plate is mounted in a flat horizontal orientation that is parallel with the open end of the cone. The gap and the other plate are located on the sloping surface of the cone, which is made out of a non-conductive material. Plates may also be used on the tip of the cone and the outer rim of the cone that contacts the ground. This causes current flow through the ant mound. The opening of the cone is covered by an enclosure that contains solar cells, an electronics module(s) and an electro-mechanical module. The solar cells are operated in series to provide low voltage direct current which is converted to high voltage alternating current by an electronic module. The alternating current is used to drive the conductive plates. The low voltage direct current is also used to power an electro-mechanical module. This module uses an electronic circuit to monitor elapsed time and it periodically powers a small electric motor to produce mechanical vibration. The vibration is produced by a counterweight mounted on the motor shaft. The electro-mechanical module may also monitor the frequency or the amplitude of the alternating current to determine when fire ants are being stimulated and interrupt motor power when this process begins. This prolongs motor life and helps conserve power.
In another aspect of the present invention, fire ants are prevented from gaining access to a select area having a defined access path. This is accomplished by disposing a stimulating source in the access path that, when activated, attracts and agitates fire ants to a point that ants from a common colony will attack each other. When the stimulating source is activated, fire ants cluster around the stimulating source and fall away from the select area. An AC voltage, whose amplitude is low enough not to kill the ants or harm other beings, but high enough to disrupt the nervous systems of the ants to the extent that they attack one another, may be used as the stimulating source.
The stimulating source is provided across two parallel rings that are mounted on an insulator with a gap and the apparatus is attached around any select area having a defined access path. This includes a traffic electrical control box mounted on a pole, a telephone cable riser mounted on the ground, electric utility components mounted on a pole or a ground mounted electrical enclosure. Fire ants are attracted and agitated when the stimulating source is activated. They subsequently fall away from the select area. Fire ants that return are stimulated and fall again. This process prevents ants from reaching the select area and causing damage to equipment, personnel or property located in the select area. The stimulating source is powered by solar panels with battery backup for nighttime operation, by direct connection to available electrical power, or by inductive coupling to power circuits.